They're Back
by Sadie1
Summary: What happens when the students make it to Hogwarts before Hagrid can make it down to Hogsmeade?Please Read and Review. Pretty Please!Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all of the characters. Not fair. Oh well, I just manipulate them to do what I want them to do.
1. The Train

"Hermione, can you believe that this is our last year at Hogwarts?"  
  
"I know. It all went by so quickly."  
  
"I got you a present," Harry said shyly.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Well, I don't know I saw it in Flourish and Blotts and thought you might like it. I already gave Ron his present over the summer."  
  
"Speaking of Ron where is he, the train leaves in five minutes."  
  
"He's a couple of compartments down visiting a girl."  
  
"Who?" Hermione asked with a look of pure curiosity on her face.  
  
"Well, I didn't tell you but, Mandy Brocklehurst."  
  
"I don't remember her."  
  
"She's a Seventh Year Ravenclaw."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Just then Ron opened the compartment door, fell over onto the seat, and laid down.  
  
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's under a love spell."  
  
"Am not," Ron bolted upright, "I…I'm… I'm just not feeling quite right."  
  
"Right, Ron," Hermione giggled.  
  
"You're sick with love," Harry mumbled.  
  
"Cut it out you two."  
  
"Sorry, but the last Weasley I saw like this was Percy. You know, in his fourth year."  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember that. Who could forget, he was head over heels for that girl; what was her name?"  
  
Hermione and Harry just looked at each other and shrugged. There was dead silence for a few minutes and then Harry piped up, "Hermione, are you ever going to open up your gift?"  
  
"Now's as good of a time as any."  
  
She unwrapped the package to find a huge book. "Advanced Spells for the Adventurous, thanks Harry."  
  
"I figured you would like it since you love to learn new spells, and we'll be back at Hogwarts this year. There's always some adventure there."  
  
"Actually this could come to be very useful," Hermione replied as she paged through the book. There were spells for temporary invisibility, for turning back time, and for many other things that would be useful when caught on an adventure. Just then Hermione flipped a spell that could stop sound. After each spell there was a brief explanation. Under this one, it was very short. This spell affects beings, beasts or objects. After the spell is said directly over the object of which one wants quiet, that object can no longer make noise of any sort for twenty-four hours.  
  
"Who would use that spell?" Harry asked looking over Hermione's shoulder.  
  
Hermione didn't answer, she just grinned.  
  
* * * 


	2. No Hagrid

The train arrived in Hogsmeade on time. All of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh years looked puzzled. There were no carriages waiting for them. Then there was the first years. They looked even more confused, if that was possible. Hagrid wasn't there to direct the first years to the boats. Harry thought to himself, 'What a great way to start off our year.'  
  
Harry, Hermione, and Ron decided to go look for any of the professors. They couldn't find a single one. So, they went into the train station.  
  
"Excuse me ma'am," Hermione said.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did anyone from Hogwarts send an owl or leave any message at all of what's going on?"  
  
"No, why do you ask."  
  
"Er, we are seventh years at Hogwarts. And Hagrid has always been here to take the first years to the castle by boats and there has always been carriages for the rest of us."  
  
"Yes, your point?"  
  
"There aren't any carriages out there now, and none of the professors have come down to meet us or give us directions."  
  
"Well now, that's one I haven't seen before. I've been at this station for thirty years and not once has this happened before. Let's go outside and check."  
  
There was still no one there, and by this time, the first years were so frightened that some were biting there finger nails while others were complaining that they wanted to go back to their mums.  
  
"Okay everyone," the station manager called out; using her wand to magnify her voice, "We're going to figure this out. I want all the seventh years to go by the first years. Take a buddy and don't lose them. There seems to be enough boats to accompany your two years. See if you can cross the lake and find out what's going on. Anyone who has a broom, and knows how to use it, see if you can make it up to the castle. The rest of you will stay here with me and we will wait for the other students to get some help from the castle, then we will figure out what to do."  
  
So, the first and seventh years got in the boats, four pairs of two to a boat. It was very crowded since both years were going by boat. Harry, Hermione, Ron and their worst enemy, Draco Malfoy all ended up in the front boat with their first year "buddies" Shane, Estania, Anthony, and Edward. As they started across the lake the clouds rolled in and rain started to fall. Then, something very unexpected happened. It got very cold and snow started to fall. As the boats drifted on, the water turned slushy at a very rapid pace. Something was very wrong.  
  
Just as the boats were coming into view of the castle the water turned into ice. The boats were frozen into the ice.  
  
"What do we do now?" Ron said with a look of panic on his face.  
  
"I don't know," Hermione whispered. This was what really scared everyone, Hermione not knowing.  
  
"Don't tell me you goons got us stuck out here; it's really cold. I think there's ice in my hair!"  
  
"Would you shut up Draco?!"  
  
"Yeah, it's probably all that gel in your hair that's making icicles."  
  
"Ron, Draco, would you two stop fighting for two minutes, we need to find a way up to the castle."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes and then stuck out his tongue at Draco, while Draco just looked the other way and pouted.  
  
"Excuse me," a little voice protruded into the conversation. Hermione looked over at her buddy, Estania.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I have a question; what's all of this white stuff that's falling down out of the sky? I mean it's really pretty, but I don't know what it is."  
  
"You mean you've never seen snow?"  
  
"Snow?"  
  
"I guess not; well, its like frozen rain, but lighter and fluffier."  
  
"I thought frozen rain was hail," Draco remarked snidely at his chance to correct Hermione.  
  
"I said it was like frozen rain, but lighter and fluffier, okay?" She glared back at Draco, her least favorite person to be corrected by.  
  
"Er, I think I know how we can get across the lake," Shane joined the conversation.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Well, back home in Canada, we used to go ice fishing. You cut holes in the ice and then stick your fishing line through the hole and caught fish that way…"  
  
"Your point? Are we supposed to cut holes in the ice to make our way to the castle? That makes a lot of sense," Draco said matter-o-factly. He didn't like anything that had to do with Harry Potter, and Shane was Harry's buddy.  
  
"My point was that we always performed a spell to see if the ice was thick enough to walk on. If it was, the ice stayed the same, if it was too thin, the ice turned purple."  
  
"Well why don't you use the spell so we know if we can walk to the castle over the ice."  
  
Shane stood up in the boat and took out his wand. He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Levidensis congelo aqua." There was a loud crackling sound and then spots of ice here and there turned a deep purple.  
  
"Wow," Estania gasped. She had never seen ice before, none the less walked on it. "At home, in Kenya it's always extremely hot."  
  
"Well, normally," Hermione explained, "we don't get snow and ice until late November, early December."  
  
Everyone got out of their boats and gathered in a big group around Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco. There was about 64 people gathered around, but the only sound was the chattering of teeth.  
  
"Okay," Hermione yelled out. "Everyone stay with the groups that you were with in your boats. Walk single file, and avoid all purple patches whatever you do. We are all going to make it across. Don't leave anyone behind. Let's go."  
  
At this, one of the Seventh Years headed up each line and one took the back of the line. They walked very slowly across the ice so that they wouldn't slip and fall. As they were walking, the last Seventh Year in the furthest back line, Seamus Finnigan, looked back over his shoulder. "Oh my goodness," he said under his breath. The ice was starting to melt as they walked over it. About 20 meters back, there was no ice, just water. He ran up to the front of the group, while everyone kept on walking.  
  
"Harry, Ron!"  
  
"What is it Seamus?"  
  
"The ice… it's… starting to…melt."  
  
"Where?" Hermione butted into the conversation.  
  
"About… 20… meters…or so… behind… our group."  
  
"I'll come with you and check it out. Harry, Ron, keep going. We aren't too far from the castle, I'll catch up with you."  
  
Seamus and Hermione ran back to the last group as fast as they could without slipping. No one asked any questions, just stared at them. When they got back to the end, they stopped running and walked cautiously to the edge of the ice.  
  
"I can't believe it, first it was water and then all of a sudden it changed to ice that was a couple inches thick. This could all melt in a few minutes. We should probably start walking faster so that we make it."  
  
"Yeah, I think your right, Hermione." 


	3. Candy and Dumbledore's office

Back at the train station a group of about one hundred students went back to the train to find their brooms. Realizing that all of the luggage had been transported, only the ten people who had their brooms in their compartments with them were able to fly off.  
  
After about five minutes of flying the wind started to pick up and it became really cold. Once the snow and hail started the two second years, two third years and two fifth years decided to turn back. This left the four sixth years out in the storm by themselves.  
  
* * *  
  
As Seamus turned to catch up with his group, he heard a high pitched scream, and turned around to see Hermione fall into the water.  
  
Back at the front of the group Harry heard someone scream and instantly thought of Hermione.  
  
About five of the Seventh Years turned around when they heard the scream and ran back to find that Hermione had fallen in the water. They all helped drag her out of the water. As Ron and Harry ran towards the back of the group, they looked down on the ice, a lifeless body that appeared to be Hermione just lay there.  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
"No," Harry yelled. They couldn't lose her. Harry and Ron sank to their knees by Seamus, Neville, Parvati, Lavender, and Dean.  
  
"What do we do?" Neville asked with a tear welling up in his eye.  
  
"CPR," Harry said. It was one of the many safety precautions Hermione had taught Harry and Ron over their many years at Hogwarts. He looked over at Ron, who just nodded.  
  
Harry leaned in close to Hermione's mouth and listened for any sign of breathing. There was none. He parted her lips and gave her two rescue breaths. Still no sign. He did fifteen chest compressions, and went back in for two breaths of air. On the second breath she came back to life and spit out a whole mouth full of water in Harry's face. Once she got the rest of the water out of her lungs she looked at all of the people surrounding her. Seamus, Neville, Parvati, Lavender, Dean, Ron, Harry, and a few others who had gathered around. She was soaked to the bone, but the funny thing was, the water wasn't cold when she fell in.  
  
"Here," Harry said as he took of her wet jacket and put his jacket around her shoulders to try to keep her warm.  
  
"We thought we bloody lost you, Hermione," Ron said with a sniffle  
  
Neville just sighed, he was glad she made it.  
  
"Thanks to Harry, you came back."  
  
Hermione looked at Harry and tried to give him a smile. He just looked the other way shyly.  
  
All of the First Years and Seventh Years started to walk towards the castle again. They were only about 100 meters from the castle. Everyone walked in silence watching where they stepped.  
  
As they approached the castle they found the door which the First Years normally went through from the boats so that they could be sorted. It was unlocked. They all rushed into the warmth of the school. It was very crowded in the entry room, so they all filed into the Great Hall. It was decorated as usual, but no one was there.  
  
Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, "I think the professors are in Dumbledore's office."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"It's just a feeling."  
  
"Can't hurt to try," Ron added.  
  
"I guess. But not everyone can go. So let's put a few people in charge and just us three go."  
  
Hermione stood her tallest in front of everyone and even though she was still shaking from the cold, she didn't look vulnerable at all. Everyone looked at her with respect.  
  
"Everyone, I'm going to put Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom in charge. Listen to them and stay with your buddies, I don't want anyone to stray off. We'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
Ron, Hermione, and Harry ran off through the doors and up the stairs. When they finally stopped at the gargoyle statue in front of Dumbledore's office door, they heard footsteps behind them. It was Anthony, Estania, and Shane, their buddies.  
  
"What are you guys doing up here?"  
  
"You told us to stay with our buddies," Estania told Hermione.  
  
"Okay, you can stay here, just don't get us in trouble."  
  
"Ron," Harry rolled his eyes up at him. If anyone was going to get them in trouble it would be themselves, not these First Years.  
  
"What are we doing in front of this statue?" Shane asked.  
  
"It's Dumbledore, the Headmaster's office. We have to figure out the password to get in. It's always a type of candy," Harry said. So they all started yelling out types of candies.  
  
"Chocolate Frog's!"  
  
"Pumpkin Pasties!"  
  
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans!"  
  
"Drooble's Best Blowing Gum!"  
  
"Licorice Wands!"  
  
"M&M's"  
  
"What?" Ron looked confused.  
  
"It's a type of muggle candy," Harry said looking at Anthony who must have been a muggle.  
  
"I know!" Estania said with big googly eyes. "They're my favorite type of wizard candy. Fizzing Whizbees!"  
  
The gargoyle swung open to reveal Professor Dumbledore's office. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Shane, Anthony, and Estania all rushed into the room, but no one was there. The office was completely empty. All of Professor Dumbledore's belongings were gone. There weren't any book's on the shelves, Fawks the phoenix wasn't to be found, and Dumbledore himself was no where to be seen.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"Er, what Ron?"  
  
"Are you sure this is Professor Dumbledore's office?"  
  
"Positive. I'm sure that it was this one. Don't you remember?"  
  
"Well, no. Actually I don't think I've ever been in the Professor's office."  
  
"But, last year, don't you remember? When the school was under attack by deatheaters? You, me and Hermione came looking for Professor Dumbledore and found him in his office. This office."  
  
"No. I thought we found him in the Gryffindor Common Room."  
  
"I'm sure we found him in this office."  
  
"No…"  
  
"Would the two of you shut up! I think someone's coming." Hermione pointed out the door and into the shadows. Harry could see something glowing, but it didn't look like a person to him.  
  
"You guys stay here. I'll go check it out." Harry whispered, for fear that the glowing thing might here them.  
  
"Harry, I'm coming with you."  
  
"No, Ron. Let me go by myself. If something happens then you come out ok? We need you as backup?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
Harry tiptoed out of the room, so as not to be heard. As he emerged from the doorway he fell over with a surge of pain emitting from his scar.  
  
"Harry!" Ron yelled.  
  
"Shut up" Harry whispered back. "It might hear you."  
  
Then he turned back around and started to crawl towards the thing lying on the floor. He held his forehead as he went. When he finally reached the glowing object, he picked it up. His scar no longer hurt as he began to read the glowing piece of parchment. After scanning through the piece of paper he beckoned to the rest of the group. 


	4. A glowing message

"What does it say?" Hermione asked inquisitively. "Let me see it."  
  
Harry handed over the paper. It had stopped glowing its vibrant green color and looked ordinary, although its message begged to differ. Hermione read aloud:  
  
  
  
  
  
The Dark Lord will come once again,  
  
His wrath will come to rule.  
  
A place once lost will be key,  
  
And it shall all come down to one duel.  
  
For now the place is lost,  
  
But soon to be uncovered,  
  
The light one shall find  
  
And much shall be discovered.  
  
Together two ages will come,  
  
The time between will mend.  
  
Young and old will be bold  
  
And continue to the end.  
  
For once they've started,  
  
The beginning will have begun  
  
And the end will be far away,  
  
'Til the last words have been done.  
  
"What do you think it means?" Shane asked with a look of curiosity.  
  
"To tell you the truth," Harry replied, "I have absolutely no clue other than Voldemort will be back." As Harry said He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's name both Ron and Estania winced.  
  
"It seems to be like a riddle. You know what I mean?" Hermione said in deep thought.  
  
"Not really," Estania said.  
  
"Well," Hermione tried to find the right words to describe it. "You can't take everything in the message exactly literally. In the second part it says 'the light one will find, and much shall be discovered' the light one is referring to a person or thing, but we have to find out who or what that is."  
  
"Oh, I get it."  
  
"So I take it we will be in the library deciphering this message as soon as possible?" Ron groaned.  
  
"How did you guess?" Harry said sarcastically.  
  
Hermione just glared at the two of them. "All right we'll help." Ron finally gave in.  
  
"First don't you think that we should find the professors?" Anthony asked meekly.  
  
"Probably," Harry replied.  
  
"Well let's go back to the Great Hall first and check on everyone." The six of them walked back to the Great Hall with only getting onto one staircase that changed directions on them.  
  
As they entered the Great Hall the door at the other end opened. Four Sixth Years walked through the door with their brooms in hand. All of them played on their house's quidditch team.  
  
"I can't believe we made it. The weather was starting to really turn on us. The wind had to be at least forty-five kilometers per hour and the snow, sleet, hail or whatever that was had to be coming just as fast at our faces," Collin Creevy said while entering the room.  
  
"I thought more of you had brooms, why are there only four of you here?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Well, originally ten of us started out, but the other six weren't the greatest at flying, so we sent them back when the wind started to pick up. The only reason that any of us left the station was that the ten of us had our brooms in our compartments with us. So we were able to take them off the train. When everyone else went to get their brooms, they found that all of their things were sent up here, like it always works."  
  
"That's right. I forgot about that," Hermione mumbled under her breath.  
  
"Have you guys found the professors yet?" Ginny Weasly asked.  
  
"No, they weren't in Dumbledore's office or anywhere else that we could tell, but then again this school is so huge," Ron answered.  
  
"So what do you think we should do?" Ginny asked. "I mean it's already seven o'clock."  
  
"I have an idea," Lavender Brown piped up. "I think that we should all take our buddies to our dormitories and sleep there for tonight and then go looking for the teachers tomorrow."  
  
"But what about the rest of the people at the train station?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I know," Harry joined in, "Why don't we use our transfiguration skills and turn something into carriages and send them down to pick up the rest of the students. Then we can all get together here in the Great Hall and eat before we head off to our dormitories. And, as Lavender said, the first years can stay with their buddies."  
  
Everyone agreed this was their best bet, so the seventh years got together and worked on getting a shoe to turn into a carriage. After multiple explosions (most by Neville) and a shoe that turned into a huge pumpkin, they finally got it to work. Then they created a lot more carriages, and one person went along with each carriage (or shoe, however you want to look at it) to go pick up all of the second through sixth years.  
  
Once the rest of the students got back the seventh years had somehow come up with food. Although, the rest of the students didn't want to know where they got the food from, they were still starved so they ate it and went off to bed. All of the first years followed their buddies to the dormitories and slept there for the night. 


	5. The Marauder's Map

By ten o'clock that night everyone but Harry, Hermione, and Ron were asleep. The trio sat in front of the fire in the fireplace that they had lit only an hour before in the Gryffindor Common Room.  
  
"So where do you think the professors are?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't know," Harry answered and slipped his hands into his pocket. "But I do know I don't have a very good feeling about…What's this?" Harry then pulled out a piece of parchment from his robe.  
  
"Is it the message from this afternoon in Dumbledore's office?" Ron asked.  
  
"No, because I have that," Hermione said.  
  
"Then what is it?"  
  
Harry unrolled the piece of parchment and looked at it. "It's blank. I wonder why I have it."  
  
"It's probably just a piece of parchment you left there from last year."  
  
"No, remember, I ran out of parchment last year. You had to lend me a few pieces for finals."  
  
"That's right. I totally forgot about that."  
  
"Oh, I know. I bet you it's our Marauder's Map. I left it in here after we went to Hogsmeade on our last week here."  
  
"That's right," Ron said.  
  
"Which visit did you use it on?" Hermione asked in a stern voice.  
  
"Well, er, we sort of wanted to get candy before we went on summer break so we left the last weekend before break." Harry confessed.  
  
"Well, never mind that now. We have bigger problems, like finding the professors."  
  
"Harry, do you remember how to use the map?"  
  
"Of coarse."  
  
"This is no time to be fooling around with a map you two. You should be ashamed of yourselves."  
  
"I have an idea," Ron said as if it were a first. "Why don't we just cast the spell and get the map working, that way, if the professors are on castle grounds, we'll know where they are."  
  
"Not a bad idea."  
  
"Thank you, Harry."  
  
So Harry cast the spell and the map came alive.  
  
"What in the wizarding world?!" Ron shouted.  
  
"That can't be right," Harry said with disbelief.  
  
"I wouldn't have guessed," Hermione joined in. 


End file.
